Wire-mattress stretcher.



VNo. 870,552. PATENTED NOV. l2, 1907.

J. ERLANDSBN.

WIRE MATTRESS STRETCHER. 'APPLICATION FILED 00T. 6, 190e.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 870,552. -PATENTED NOV. l2, 1907. J. ERLANDSBN..

WIRE MATTRESS STRETGHER.

APPLIOATION FILED 0011.6, 190e.

4 SHEETSV-SHEET 2.

v No. 870,552. PATENTBD NOV. 1'2', 1907..

J. BRLANDSEN.

WIRE MATTRESS STRETGHER.

APPLIOATION TILED ooi-.6, 1906.

' 4 SHBBTS-SHEBT s.

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No. 870,552. PATENTED NOV. 1 2, 1907. J. ERLANDSEN. WIRE MATTRESS STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 6, 1906.

4 SHEETSTSHBET 4.

mp', III" IHI'II @Tai I I I 1H: Noma: PETE c4 fabric under the desired tension.

JULIUS ERLANDSEN,

PATENT OFFCF.

or Nnw YORK, N. Y.

WIRE-MATTRESS STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1907.

Application led October 6, 1906. Serial No. 337.813.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JULIUs ERLANDSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at 13S East Ninety-fourth street, New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Mattress Stretchers, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

The machine described herein is designed for use in the manufacture of wire mattresses, for stretching the wire fabric during its application under tension to the frame of the mattress.

As is well known in the art, the mattress consists of a frame and a wire fabric under tension. The frame is composed essentially of two end-members and two sidemembers. One end-member is securely fastened to an end of the wire fabric while the other end-member is similarly secured to the remaining end of the wire fabric. The two side-members are adapted to hold the end-members. The fabric is made of such a length `that when the ond and side-members. are joined in their proper relation the side-members will hold the ln the manufacture of mattresses of this kind it is customary in order to produce the desired tension, to stretch the wire fabric by means of a machine having a movable stretching carriage operated by a screw working within a nut. In the operation of such machines the wire fabric having previously had an end-member attached to each of its ends is supported upon the machine; one of these endinembers is held by suitable grips at one end of the machine, the other end-member being held by grips upon a movable carriage which stretches the fabric to the desired point for fastening or bolting the end-members to the side-members of the frame of the mattress.

The grips and end-members being on the carriage, the operating screw cannot be located in the plane of the mattress but must be placed at a distance from this plane, Because of this, the tension of the wire fabric tends to tip the carriage causing the carriage to bind on its ways and the nut on the operating screw. This produces friction which absorbs a large percentage of the power required to operate the machine.

The object of the present invention is to obviate such unnecessary friction and waste of power, and it is accomplished by supporting the carriage upon wheels fitted to appropriate guides.

The invention includes an arrangement of the wheels to prevent lateral movement of the carriage as well as the tipping strain.

lt also includes means for operating the screw either by hand or by poweix It includes also a shaft with pulleys for operating the screw reversibly and a clutch shifter which may be actuated by the carriage at any required point of travel in either direction, to disengage the operating clutch and limit the movement of the carriage, and a handlever for actuating the shifter to reverse the movement of the operating screw and carriage at any point, or to bring it to rest.

It also includes gearing for rotating the operating screw at various speeds for stretching light and heavy mattresses.

The machine illustrated has stationary grips at one end to receive an end-member of the mattress-frame which is attached to one end of the wire fabric, and the fabric is stretched by securing the other end-member of the mattress-frame in grips movable with a traveling carriage; but the invention may be practiced equally with movable grips at both ends of the mattress-fabric,

supported by carriages movable to and from each other.

The invention will be understood by reference to the annexed drawing, in which Figure l is a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is a cross section of the bed showing inclined wheels; Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine with the mattress-frame indicated by dotted lines; Fig. 4 is a cross section of the machine frame at line 44 in Fig. l; Fig. 5 shows the end of the bed with the hand-lever and connections to the shifter-bar, the hand-wheel being removed from the shank of the operating screw. Fig. 6 is an end view of the carriage showing the wheels upon the frame to support the carriage movably, and Fig. 7 is a plan of the carriage.

The bed of the machine is shown formed of channeled side-rails a, front tie-bar b, rear tie-bar c, and legs d. (See Figs. l, 2 and 3). The tie-bar b supports a bearing e, for the operating screwf. (See Figs. l and 5). A carriage g is also shown. (See Figs. l, 3 and 4). The carriage g is provided with a bearing 7L carrying a nut i for the screw f, and is guided upon the rails a by wheels j, j, which may hold all parts of the carriage clear from the bed, and may be arranged to resist lateral movement of the carriage with relation to the bed, as well as the vertical tipping movement which is caused by the location of the operating screw below Vthe grips which hold the end-members of the mattress-frame when the machine is stretching the wire fabric. Grips k and Z are shown upon the top of the side rail a adjacent to the tie-bar b, and similar grips c and Z are shown upon the carriage g. Dotted lines g indicate a mattress frame. In Fig. 4 the side rails a are shown formed with channelslhaving converging surfaces, and the wheels j, j upon the carriage are shown attached to the ends of an axle m and are made conical to fit between the converging surfaces of theA channels a, which enables the wheels not only to resist the tipping movement, but also to prevent lateral movement of the carriage upon the bed.

In practico, the tipping strain brings the periphery of each wheel in Contact with either the upper or lower surface of the channels in the side rail, thiiwswcausing the wheels to rotate upon the movement of the carriage.

This construction is found effective in practice to restrain the movement of the carriage vertically1 and laterally with a slight amount of friction; but a still more effective means is shown in Fig, 2 where separate wheels 6 and G3 are shown applied to the inclined surfaces of the channel formed in the side rails. Such wheels are made cylindrical, and their axles 8 and 8/ are parallel with the inclined surfaces 7 of the side rails and are supported by bearings on the carriage. The bearings of the axles 8 and 8 are supported upon the carriage by brackets 9, adjustable toward the side rails a. The wheels can thus be brought into close Contact with the inclined surfaces of the side rails.

Fig. 6 shows an inversion of the carriage support illustrated in Fig. 4, the wheels 7/ being journaled upon studs 8L on the side rails a and their conical faces fitted to longitudinal grooves 9/ in the opposite edges of the carriage, as shown in Fig, 6. Wheels upon such studs may be 8 or 10 inches apart upon the inside of the rails, so as to form a continuous bearing for the carriage in any position to which it is moved by the screw In practice, the stretching pressure tips the carriage so as to bear upon either the upper or lower side only of the wheels, thus avoiding friction from contact with both of their surfaces which necessarily revolve in oppositc directions.

lt will be observed that the wheels which support the carriage are in all the constructions, whether that of Figs. 2, 4 or 6, covered Wholly or largely by the upper flanges of the side rails a, thus protecting them from the deposit of dirt, and the lower flange of such side rail is also covered by the overhanging projection of the upper flange which protects such lower rail from the deposit of dirt.

The end and side members of woven wire mattresses are in many cases made of commercial angle-iron, of fiat iron or pipe which is covered with a hard scale or oxid, and during the stretching process a portion of this scale becomes detached and falls upon the machine. Stretching machines have commonly been built with exposed working surfaces upon which the scale has lodged, often causing abrasion'of the surfaces and unnecessary friction with a resultant waste of power. lt is also a frequent practice to apply bronze, size or paints to the mattress frame while stretching the mattress, and this drips upon exposed working surfaces, and because of its adhesive nature seriously interferes with the proper working of the machine. The supports for the carriage and its wheels are designed in the present machine to avoid these objectionable features, the flanges of the side rails serving not only as the guides for the wheels, but as a protection from the deposit of dirt.

A hand-wheel q is shown upon the shank of the operating screw f in Fig. 1 outside of the bearing e, to rotate the screw and move the carriage by hand when power is not available. A shaft n mounted in hangers o beneath the operating screw and connected by gearing to the spur-gear q upon the screw is also shown.

Clutch pulleys p and p to be rotated in opposite directions are shown upon the shaft 'n and a clutch fork r is shown attached to a shifter-rod s for connecting either of the pulleys with the shaft or for disconnecting either or both pulleys from the shaft. Pinions t and t of different diameters are shown upon vthe shaft n below the spur-gear q and either can be engaged with the gear to rotate the operating screw by means of intermediates u and u, which are journaled upon a sweep or swinging-plate o, so that either can be thrown into engagement with the gear on the oper ating screw at pleasure by a handle 'v/ upon the sweep and also so that when the handle is placed midway between its extreme positions neither intermediate will be in mesh with the spur-gear q. A bolt fastens the sweep to the adjacent hanger when properly adjusted.

The shifter-rod s is connected by a connector or tieblock s/ with a rack-bar 1, shown in Fig. 5 adjacent to the shank of the operating screw, the rack-bar being extended and connected to the shifter-rod s at the front end of the bed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

A bevel-pinion 4 is shown mounted rotatably upon the shank of the operating-screw f between the bearing e and a collar 2 and is provided with handles 62 forming a double-armed lever. The bevel-pinion is rotated back and forth by moving the handles 62. A compound segmental gear is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 beneath the pinion 4, a part of the gears periphery having bevel-teeth 5 to engage the pinion 4, and a part having spur-teeth 6 to engage the rack-bar. The

rack-bar is supported adjacent to the spur-teeth 6 by' a guide-roll 7, shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

The movement of the handles 62, operating the bevel-pinion 4, and the segmental gear 6 which meshes with the rack-bar, serves to move the shifter-rod s, the thimble-fork r', and the fork 10, 1l, which presses against the levers o: and x/ of the pulley-clutches to engage either the pulley p or p/ at will with the shaft n, thus rotating the operating screw and controlling the movement of the carriage g. The speed imparted to the screw by the shaft is varied by rocking the sweep e by means of the handle of, to engage either the intermediate u or u/ with the spur-gear q, the variations in the pinions t and t being made' suficient for ordinary purposes.

When the handle 11 is placed midway between its extreme positions neither intermediate will be in mesh with the spur-gear q, the power will then be l disconnected from the screw, and it may be operated by means of the hand-wheel q.

Attached to the shifter-rod s are arms 14, 15 and 16, projecting in the path of the carriage, and actuated thereby, so as to disconnect the operating pulley from the shaft to stop the carriage. The arm 14 stops the carriage at its extreme stretching point. lhe arm 15 will stop the carriage in its reverse movement before the nut jams on the shank of the operating screw, while the arm 1G can be set to stop the carria-ge at any desired point on the reverse movement.

When the fabric is secured to the mattress-frame, the operating screw is reversed by operating the handles 62, and the operator can then give his attention to the removal of the finished mattress and the application of another to the grips while the carriage is reversing its movement, such movement being arrested at a suitable point (to apply another wire fabric) by the arm 16.

The arms are shown upon the shifter-rod s, adjustable by set-screws in the usual manner, to enable the operator to set them in the desired position.

The smaller pinion t upon the shaft n is adapted to rotate the screw slowly when stretching heavy mattresses, while the pinion t is adapted to rotate it more rapidly when stretching lighter mattresses.

From the preceding description it may be seen that this machine possesses many advantageous features; among these are the friction reducing devices which reduce to a minimum the power required for operation besides adding to the durability of the machine. Other features economize the operators time, and place the machine completely under his control.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what is claimed herein is:

l. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wire fabi'ic, of wheels acting as rollers, a stretching carriage moving on the wheels, and means on the carriage to engage the other end of the wire fabric.

In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination. with a head for holding one end of the wire fabric` of a stretching carriage moving on wheels. means on the carriage to engage the otherI end of the wire fabric, guides adapted to direct the movements of the wheels, and wheels between the carriage and the guides.

3. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wire fabric. of a stretching carriage on wheels. means on the carriage to hold the other end of the wire fabric, and guides having surfaces adapted to engage the wheels and prevent displacement of the carriage in any direction but that essential to its function.

4. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wire fabric, of a stretching carriage moving on wheels, wheels between the carriage and the guides, means to engage the other end of the wire fabric, and side-rails and flanges von the side-rails extending beyond the wheels to protect them from dirt.

5. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wire fabric, of a stretching carriage moving on wheels, wheels between the carriage and the guides, means on the carriage to engage the other end of the wire fabric, and guides having flanges inclosing the said wheels.

6. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wire fabric, of a stretching carriage, wheels on which the carriage moves, means on the carriage to engage the other end of the wire fabric and flanged side-rails having the upper flange projecting beyond the lower flange, whereby the lower flange is protected from a deposit of dirt.

T. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wire fabric. of a stretching carriage, wheels upon which the carriage rolls, means on the carriage to engage the other end of the wire fabric and a screw for actuatingthe stretching carrh "e.

S. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wire fabric, of a stretch- ,ing carriage moving on wheels, means on the carriage to engage the other end of the wire fabric, a screw for actulating: the stretching carriage. a frame supporting such screw, Vand wheels upon which the carriage moves.

i). In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end otthe wire fabric, of a stretching carriage moving on wheels, wheels upon which the carriage moves, means on the carriage to hold the other end of the wire fabric, a screw with suitable gearing for actuating the stretching carriage, and a frame supporting said screw and gearing.

10. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wire fabric, of a stretching carriage mounted on wheels, means on the carriage to engage the other end of the wire fabric, and a frame having channeled side-rails adapted to act as guides for the said wheels.

1l. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wire fabric of a stretching carriage, wheels upon which the carriage moves, means on the carriage to engage the other end of the wire fabric, a screw for actuating the stretching carriage and a frame supporting said screw, having side-rails inclosing the wheels upon which the carriage moves.

12. In a wire mattress stretcher', the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wire fabric of a stretching carriage moving on wheels, wheels upon which the carriage moves` means en the carriage to engage the other end of the wire fabric, a scl'ew with suitable gearing for actuating the stretching carriage, and a frame, supporting said screw and gearing, having channeled side-rails inclosing the wheels upon which the said carriage moves.

13. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wire fabric, of a stretching carriage mounted on wheels and having means to engage the other end of the wire fabric, a screw withsuitable gearing for actuating the stretching carriage, a frame for supporting said screw and gearing, guides on the frame engaging the wheels of the said carriage, a shaft upon the frame and clutches for reversing the motion of the said gearing.

lf-l. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a stationary head for holding one end of the wire fabric of a stretching carriage mounted on wheels' and having means to engage the other end of the wire fabric, a screw with suitable gearing for moving the stretching carriage, a frame for supporting said screw and gearing, guides on the frame engaging the wheels of the said carriage, a shaft upon the frame with clutches for reversing the said gearing, and a shifter to operate the clutches.

15. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a stationary head for holding one end of the wire fabric of a stretching carriage mounted on wheels and having means to engage the other end of the wire fabric, a screw with suitable gearing for actuating the stretching carriage, a frame for supporting said screw and gearing, guides on the frame engaging the peripheries of the wheels of the said carriage, a shaft upon the frame with clutches for reversing the said gearing, a shifter to operate the clutches and a safety stop for actuating the same, to limit the movement of the carriage,

1G. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end'of the wire fabric of a stretching carriage mounted on wheels and having means to engage the other end of the wire fabric, a sci'ew with suitable gearing for moving the stretching carriage, a frame for supporting said screw and gearing, guides on the frame engaging the wheels of the said carriage, a shaft upon the frame with clutches for reversing the motion of the said gearing, a shifter to operate the clutches, a safety stop for actuating the said shifter to .limit the movement of the carriage in one direction and a safety stop to limit the movement of the carriage in the opposite direction.

17. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a stationary head for holding one end of the wire fabric, of a stretching carriage moving on wheels and having means to engage the other end of the wire fabric, wheels upon which the carriage moves, a screw with suitable gearing for moving the stretching carriage, a frame for supporting said screw and gearing, channeled side-rails on the frame engaging the wheels of the said carriage, a shaft upon the frame with clutch-pulleys for reversing the said gearing, a shifter to engage or disengage either clutch-pulley, and safety-stops actuated by the carriage to limit its movement in either direction.

1S. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head for holding one end of the wirefabric of' a stretching carriage mounted on wheels and having means to engage the other end ot' the wire fabric, a screw with suitable gearing for actuatingl the stretching carriage, a frame for supporting said screw and gearing, channeled side-rails llO shaft upon the frame with clutclrpulleys for reversing the said gearing, a shifter to engage or disengage either clutchpulley, safety-stops to limit the extreme movement of the carriage in either direction and a stop actuated by the carriage during its reverse movement to set the carriage in its receiving position.

19. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a stationary head for holding one end of the wire fabric, of a stretching carriage mounted on wheels and having means to engage the other end of the wire fabric, a screw with suitable gearing for moving the stretching carriage, a frame for supporting said screw and gearing, side-rails engaging the wheels of the said carriage, a shaft upon the frame, clutch-pulleys upon the shaft, a shifter to engage or disengage the clutchpulleys, stops for actuating the same, and a hand-lever to actuate the shifter.

`20. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a stationary head for holding one end of the wire fabric, of a `stretching carriage, having means to engage the other end of the wire fabric, wheels upon which the carriage moves, a screw for actuating the stretching carriage, and a double-armed hand-lever journaled upon the shank of the screw.

2l. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a stationary head for holding one en d of the wire fabric, of a stretching carriage moving on wheels and having means to engage the other end of the wire fabric, wheels upon which the carriage moves, a screw for actuating the stretching carriage, a bevel-pinion mounted upon the shank of the sci'ew, handles on the bevel pinion and a segmental bevel-gear meshing with the said bevel-pinion.

22. In a wire mattress stretcher, operated by power, the combination, of a stretching screw, a frame supporting said screw, a shaft mounted upon the frame, clutch-pulleys mounted upon the shaft, a shifter adapted to engage the clutch-pulleys, a shifter-"rod mounted parallel with the screw, a rack attached to the shifter-rod, a bevel pinion mounted rotatably upon the shank of the said screw, handles on the beveLpinion and a. segmental gear meshing with the bevel-pinion and the rack, to communicate any motion of the handles to the shifter.

23. In a wire mattress stretcher, operated by power, the combination, with a stationary head for holding one end of the wire fabric, of a stretching carriage having means to engage the other end of the wire fabric, a screw and gearing for moving the stretching carriage, a frame for supporting said screw and carriage, a shaft upon the frame, clutch-pulleys on the shaft; a shifter, a shifter-rod to operate the shifter, a rack attached to the shifter-rod, a bevel-pinion mounted loosely upon the shank of the said Screw, handles on the bevel-pinion and a segmental gear meshing with the bevel-pinion and the rack.

24. In a wire mattress stretcher, operated by power, the

lhand-lever, and an intermediate gear meshing with the rack and lpinion.

25. In a wire mattress stretcher, operated by power, the combination, with a frame having channeled side-rails, wheels adapted to rotate within the channels, a carriage moving upon the wheels, a screw for moving the carriage supported on the frame, a shaft with clutch-pulleys thereon, gearing connecting the shaft and screw, a shifter adapted to engage either clutclrpulley, a shifterfrod, arms on the shifter-rod whereby the movement of the carriage operates the shifteurod, a rack-bar, a connector joining the rack-bar to the shifteraod, an oscillating hand-lever mounted loosely upon the shank of the said screw, a pinion formed on the nave of the hand-lever and an intermediate segmental gear meshing with the rack and pinion.

26. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head to hold one end of the wire fabric, a movable carriage to engage the opposite end, a screw for moving the carriage, a handswheel for turning the screw, a frame supporting the screw and carriage, a shaft upon the frame, adjustable gearing connecting the shaft and screw to drive the screw at various speeds, and means for disengaging the .shaft from the screw to admit turning the screw by hand. I

27, In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a head to hold one end of the wire fabric, a movable carriage to engage the opposite end, a screw for moving the carriage, a hand-wheel and spur-gear mounted on the shank of the screw, a frame supporting the screw and carriage, a shaft upon the frame, speed pinions on the shaft, a sweep loosely mounted on the shaft, intermediate gears mounted on the sweep and meshing with the speed pinions, a handle on the sweep whereby either intermediate may be moved in mesh with the spur-gear, or the intermediate disengaged therefrom, and a bolt adapted to secure the sweep to position.

28. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combinationl of a frame having side-rails, channels in the side-rails having bearing surfaces inclined to the horizontal, wheels in peripheral contact with the bearing surfaces, a carriage moving on the said wheels, a nut held by the carriage, a screw rotatably mounted on the frame and adapted to engage with the nut and means for turning the screw.

29, In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with means for holding the ends of the wire fabric, of a frame having side-rails with projecting beveled guides, wheels fitted to the guides whereby the wheels and a carriage mounted thereon are prevented from lateral movement, a carriage with a nut thereon, and a screw rotatably mounted on the frame engaging with the nut.

30. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with means for holding the fabric, of a frame having side-rails with projecting beveled :dang-es, a carriage, wheels tted respectively to the beveled surfaces of the separate anges, and adjustable brackets upon the carriage supporting the journals of the said wheels.

31. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, With means for holding the fabric, of a frame having'side-rails with projecting flanges, a carriage, wheels fitted respectively to the separate anges, adjustable brackets upon the carriage, a nut held on the carriage, and a screw mounted rotatably upon the frame engaging with the nut to control the movement of the carriage.

32. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination, with a frame having side-rails with projecting flanges, of a carriage. wheels fitted with individual journals, brackets secured adjustably upon the carriage and provided with bearings for the said journals, a screw mounted rotatably upon the frame and a nut on the carriage engaging with the screw.

33. In a wire mattress stretcher, the combination of a frame having flanged siderails, wheels fitted to the ilanges, adjustable brackets supporting the journals of the wheels, a carriage mounted on the brackets, a nut held on the carriage, a screw journaled on the frame and engaging with the nut, a spur-gear secured on the shank of the screw, a shaft upon the frame, speed pinions on the shaft, a sweep loosely mounted on the shaft, intermediate gears mounted on the sweep and meshing with the speed pinions, a handle on the sweep whereby either intermediate may be moved in mesh with the spur-gear or the intermediates may be disenf gag-ed therefrom, a hand-lever loosely mounted on the shank of the said screw, a pinion formed on the hub of the hand-lever, a rack-bar and a shifter-rod mounted on the frame, an intermediate segmental gear meshing with the pinion and rack-bar, a connector joining the rack-bar and shifter-rod a shifting-fork on the shifter-rod, a shifter, driving-pulleys, and means for connecting either drivingpulley with the shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JULIUS ERLANDSEN. 

